Analysts dub Ghani's optimism about new US policy ‘giving thumbs up’ for war

President Ghani's optimism about the new Afghan policy of the United States means welcoming war, some political analysts believe, arguing that Ghani should have asked Americans to settle Afghan conflict through political negotiations other than supporting the strategy.

While the full details of the Afghan policy of Trump-led US administration, which is currently under review, have not been made public yet, the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan, and exerting more military pressure on the Taliban are the core elements of the strategy.

Addressing a press conference last week in Kabul, President Ghani said the new US Afghan policy has a lot of positive aspects, and is fully consistent with the interests of Afghanistan.

Political expert, Ghulam Jelani Zwak, however, said war was a priority and American goals were set to be pursued through military means in the new strategy as set forth by US officials, which not only could resolve the Afghan conflict, but would also further deepen it. "In lieu of seeking to safeguard Afghan interests, or propose a peaceful solution to the Afghan crisis, Ghani welcomes the war strategy."

He accused the National Unity Government (NUG) of blindly accepting any American demands, and without thinking about its repercussions for the people and country.

According to Zwak, the revised US strategy for Afghanistan would lead to escalation and protraction of Afghan war, and President Ghani did not raise his voice against it only to remain in power, though he was fully aware of the consequences.

Sebghatullah Saber, another political expert, revealed that one of the reasons of the debacle and sabotage of various Afghan peace initiatives was that the United States wanted to portray in its new strategy that peace could not be achieved without the use of miliary force.

"After the announcement of new US strategy, the remaining hope for peace will also dwindle because peace will be characterized as impossible," Saber told The Heart of Asia, maintaining that war would be left as the only option to pursue, the very thing which has been planned the United States in advance.

Saber also believed one of the reasons for President Ghani’s optimism about the revised US strategy was that Ghani thought Afghan and American interests would be pursued through joint efforts following the announcement of the new strategy.

Jafar Mehdawi, a lawmaker, said the new American strategy was designed to prolong war in Afghanistan and the region, adding that as long as global strategies did not revolve on the pivot of Afghan peace, neither would stability be restored to Afghanistan nor would the government's optimism prove useful to the nation.

The only positive aspect of this strategy, according to analysts, is that Pakistan will probably come under some pressure for its support to terrorists.

One factor of the Afghan conflict is the Afghan government's failure to maintain a balance in its foreign policy. The imbalanced foreign policies of governments have paved the ground for Afghanistan to turn into a battlefield of proxy wars.